Protecting earth from extraterrestrial contamination: The case for a lunar biocontainment facility Ambio
Is spending money to make friends morally permissable? Pavement Philosophy
How to torment a scammer The Grudge Report
A town haunted by the smell of rotting fish for 20 years is getting some relief The Independent
The Summer When Peace Died Forum Geopolitica
Climate/Environment
Spokane fires destroy hundreds of structures Washington State Standard
2 killed when firefighting helicopters collide near Athens as Europe’s wildfire emergency rages Kathimerini
July 2026 ends as a top 5 warmest on record for many western cities – continuing trend toward hotter summers Balanced Weather
In stride with the predicted temperature extremes, global water vapor levels are forecast to reach record highs through the rest of 2026.
I also expect 2027 to blow past 2024’s vapor record. pic.twitter.com/My3Ge2LJyT
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) August 3, 2026
5 Urgent Facts About Chile Flood Emergency as Deadly Storm Hits TeleSur
An Unexpected Message from the Edge of Collapse The Climate Casino
Pandemics
RFK Jr tells US families to vaccinate children against measles amid outbreak The Guardian
RFK Jr. tells CNN host that constitutional rights take priority over public health Politico
Japan
Japan, US confirm joint yen-buying intervention, signal more action Reuters
China?
Strategic Stability, Different Scripts: U.S.–China Tensions Boil Ahead of Xi’s Visit George Chen
China’s Hardware is Ready. Its Geopolitical “Software” is Not. Haokai Li
India
An exam leak in India exposed a Gen Z jobs crisis that goes much deeper CNBC
Syraqistan
Israeli energy minister says no deal reached to halt attacks on Gaza as killings continue The Cradle
Iraq, NATO agree to open mission office in Baghdad, expand security cooperation Iraqi News
Trump cancels strikes on Iran, says talks to resume: Decoding the big U-turn by the US president First Post
As Cease-Fire Teetered, Iran Plotted a Wider War With Aid of Its Proxies New York Times
THE IRANIAN COUNTERSTRIKE OPTION Larry Johnson
Chevron chief on Iran war impacting energy markets: ‘The situation remains somewhat fragile and uncertain’ The Hill
God, the original counterinsurgency guy Yasha Levine
European Disunion
The Danube Running Dry: Hungary’s First Post-Orbán Energy Crisis Energy Geopolitics & Statecraft
Merz’s fortnight from hell The Telegraph
Africa
Morocco says Trump highway naming is mark of ‘deep appreciation’ Straits Times
Ethiopia’s $12.5 billion airport has become the latest investment battleground between the U.S. and China in Africa Business Insider Africa
US mocked after mislabelling every country in Africa on AIDS conference map The Canary
Old Blighty
There is no news from a government that’s in office but on holiday during a crisis Richard Murphy
The Hard Right Packing of the UK Supreme Court Craig Murray
New Not-So-Cold War
Explosion at Moscow cafe kills three, injures 15, Russian media reports Intellinews
‘We know exactly who’s behind’ Moscow bombing – former US officer RT
‘Russian Amazon’ founder put on Ukraine’s ‘kill list’ RT
Italian Navy boards tanker from Russian shadow fleet Euronews
What Are The Odds That Ukraine Is Allowed To Use Starlink Or Starshield Over All Of Russia? Andrew Korybko
TRUMP’S BOILING FROG STRATEGY AGAINST PUTIN John Helmer
South of the Border
US oil blockade leaves Cuba grappling with another nationwide blackout after grid collapses TRT World
Historic? The Venezuelan gov’t has celebrated that Acting President Delcy Rodríguez made the cover of Time Magazine, even though she’s pictured next to Trump and Rubio and the article in question calls her a “Trump proxy.” Here are some highlights from the interview (thread) pic.twitter.com/Iu2XJ4Msvu
— Venezuelanalysis (@venanalysis) August 2, 2026
Spook Country
Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify Sources New York Times. Commentary:
Don’t let the DOJ’s lawfare distract from the real story here, that JSOC routinely does lethal covert operations that are not disclosed to Congress. These are lawless institutions that only protect each other. There’s nothing they hate more than the principles of open government. https://t.co/cbEtevsU8Z
— Seth Harp (@sethharpesq) August 2, 2026
Trump 2.0
Acting US Attorney General orders cancellation of $1.8B anti-weaponization fund Anadolu Agency
GOP Funhouse
Senate GOP looks for ‘chorus’ of Republicans to fill void left by Graham The Hill
Democrats Suck
This Senator Has a Very Midwestern Plan to Save the Democrats Politico. CIA Slotkin.
Hardly a mystery. JSOC and the CIA have the technology to access any and all data on your phones and computers. Under US law, they can’t use those powers against American citizens. However, the law in this country is a joke and criminals are now in charge. Does that help? https://t.co/14e3ekJWu1
— Seth Harp (@sethharpesq) August 2, 2026
“If I Prove That You Can Win Statewide Taking on AIPAC, That Is Catastrophic” Mother Jones. Michigan’s Democrat primary is tomorrow.
Police State Watch
Combat Robot Kicks Child in Chest … The 100 Days
Imperial Collapse Watch
Defense Dividends Phenomenal World
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Flock, Ring and Atlanta’s network of more than 28,000 integrated cameras haven’t improved city’s crime clearance rates Atlanta Press Collective
How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking WaPo
New spinning drone hides in plain sight Northwestern
Sean Duffy Wants To Introduce Freedom Cars To Unshackle Us From The Constraints Of Data-Bonded Cars Jalopnik
Healthcare?
Can a Betting Market Offer Hope to a Cancer Patient? MedPage Today. What could possibly go wrong?
The Hospitals That Close, and the Hospitals That Open, Are Not in the Same America HEALTH CARE un-covered
Economy
The labor market could become so backward that the economy will have to shed jobs to keep unemployment steady Fortune
AI
Monopoly Round-Up: Are Big AI Firms Cooking the Books? Matt Stoller
OpenAI’s amazing — but vastly oversold — new model Astra Gary Marcus
Studio Ghibli in the age of A.I. reproduction Read Max
Pangram and Substack’s Collaboration is Worse Than Video Surveillance Philosophy and Beyond
Nobody Knows if OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s AI Hacking Sprees Are Illegal Wired
We Are Mildly Horrified by This AI Startup That Coerced People Into Getting Tattoos of Its Logo in Exchange for a Job Interview Futurism
Class Warfare
America’s biggest companies report ‘rock solid’ profits as consumers face higher costs FT
Unfinished Modernity Black Lodges
Rebuilding Democracy Requires Rebalancing Power Can We Still Govern?
PROFESSOR DR. WOLFGANG STREECK TO GULAN: ENDING MODERN CAPITALISM REQUIRES A COMPREHENSIVE TRANSFORMATION OF AN ESTABLISHED CIVILIZATION Gulan
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
